Red Raider basketball lands Matt Mooney

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech men's basketball head coach Chris Beard has signed Matt Mooney to an Athletic Scholarship Agreement (ASA) announced Tuesday as part of the spring NCAA signing period.

Mooney, a 6-3 guard from Wauconda, Illinois, will be immediately eligible and joins the Red Raiders as a graduate transfer for the 2018-19 season. He played his freshman season at Air Force in 2014-15 and was a two-time All-Summit League First-Team and a two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District 12 First-Team pick at South Dakota during the last two seasons.

Mooney started all 68 games over his two seasons with the Coyotes. He piled up double figures in 62 outings fueled by 31 performances of 20-plus points. Mooney captured Lou Henson All-America status last season and was one of 40 finalists for the 2018 Lou Henson Award which is presented annually to the nation's top Division I mid-major player.

Mooney registered the fourth and fifth best single-season scoring marks in South Dakota history. He knocked down 45.2 percent of his field goal attempts and drained 152 three-pointers. Mooney poured in 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting at TCU on Nov. 15. He turned in a solid all-around performance with 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists at UCLA on Dec. 19.

Mooney dished out 176 assists and recorded 142 steals. He ranked among the NCAA's Top 25 in steals over the last two seasons. South Dakota collected 48 victories and made a pair of postseason appearances in Mooney's two seasons. He tallied 23 points at Iowa during the 2017 NIT First Round.

The Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office is selling season tickets for as low as $135 and taking season ticket renewals for the upcoming 2018-19 season online at www.TexasTech.com. Fans also can renew their season tickets or purchase season tickets in person at the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office located on the East Side of Jones AT&T Stadium or over the phone at (806) 742-8324 (TECH). Information on single-game tickets and mini-plans will be announced at a later date by the Texas Tech Athletics Ticket Office.

Texas Tech is coming off the program's first NCAA Elite Eight trip and a program-best second-place Big 12 finish en route to a 27-10 record in 2017-18. The 27 wins were the second-highest total in program history for a season only behind the 30-2 mark put together by the 1995-96 squad under James Dickey. The Red Raiders also set a program single season record with eight victories over Associated Press Top 25 opponents and captured a program-best No. 6 final ranking in the USA Today/Coaches Top 25 poll.

Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the men's basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets by liking TexasTechMBB on Facebook along with following @TexasTechMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.

What the media is saying about Matt MooneyJon Rothstein, CBS Sports "Matt Mooney is a proven shooter with range. His addition will give Texas Tech great spacing and floor balance in 2018-19. This is another tremendous spring addition for Chris Beard and the Red Raiders."

Jeff Borzello, ESPN"Matt Mooney was one of the best transfers on the market this spring. A first team all-conference player, he consistently put up big numbers on a good team. What impressed me was that he did it against good opposition, too. Thirty-plus three times against South Dakota State, 30-plus against TCU. He'll bring plenty of scoring, veteran leadership and he can shoot it from the perimeter. It's a big pickup for Chris Beard and one that should pay off immediately."